MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s 5TPD bio-methanation plant is back in the news again, Days after the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had given the Margao Civic body the consent to operate the plant, the GSPCB has now issued directions to the Civic body to discontinue the operation of the bio-methanation plant within a period of six months.
In fact, in partial modification to the Consent to Operate under section 25/26 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and under section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,the GSPCB has directed the Margao Municipal Council to install additional bio-digester plants of sufficient capacity at the Sonsodo Waste management facility and discontinue the operation of the 5TPD plant within six months.
This condition was added by the GSPCB Member Secretary Dr Shamila Monteiro in the consent to operate earlier issued by the Board, with a clear directions to the MMC to install additional Bio- Digester Plants of sufficient capacity at Sonsodo Solid Waste Management facility and discontinue the operation of STPD Bio- Methanation Plant in SGPDA Market complex.
The Board has further directed the MMC to submit compliance report to the office. All other conditions mentioned in the Consent to Operate under the Water Act and Air Act remain unchanged.
GSPCB’s latest direction to discontinue the operations of the bio-methanation plant within six months has put the Margao Municipal Council in a piquant situation. For, the MMC has no treatment plant worth its name functioning at the Sonsodo waste management shed and questions are being raised whether the Civic body can set up bio-digesters at Sonsodo within six months considering the time consuming tendering process and the time needed to install the waste treatment plants.
Incidentally, the MMC is presently transporting the daily wet waste, around 30 tons per day to the Cacora waste treatment plant site, at a huge cost.
Take note, the 5TPD bio-methanation plant has not resumed operations till date since the MMC has been waiting for the GSPCB’s consent to operate and the PWD’s permission to accept the digested leachate at the STP plant at Margao.
That’s not all. With the daily wet waste generated in the commercial capital now finds its way to the Cacora waste treatment plant, the MMC, sources said, is not keen to resume operations of the 5TPD bio-methanation plant. In fact, if sources are to be believed, MMC is expected to keep the bio-methanation plant “in readiness” as a back up facility for the wet waste in the event the existing arrangement of transporting waste to Cacora goes haywire.
